History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

A Red State of Mind: How a Catfish Queen Reject Became a Liberty Belle

Average customer rating:

Laugh Out Loud for this transplanted Southern Girl
Excellent Book!!
Funny and timely
Hoping for Funny
Funniest book I've read all year

A Red State of Mind: How a Catfish Queen Reject Became a Liberty Belle
Nancy French
Manufacturer: Center Street
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1931722889

Book Description

The heartland's answer to Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff, Nancy French tells it like it is--one laugh-out-loud anecdote after another about a red state American's experiences living in the blue states.For the first 20 years of her life, all Nancy French knew of the world was Paris--Paris, Tennessee, that is. When the former homecoming queen trades in cow-tipping, big hair, and the Catfish Capital of the World for a new life in the Big Apple, she is in for a real education. With a keen sense of humor, French discusses everything from the South's obsession with church attendance to the blue-state notion that red staters think as slowly as they speak.

Customer Reviews:

Laugh Out Loud for this transplanted Southern Girl.......2007-01-15

It's been a while since I finished reading this book. I enjoyed it a great deal. I was 27 when I left the South and moved to upstate NY -- like the author I found that life was VERY different outside the South. A lot of her observations rang true and made me laugh out loud.

Very funny and a good read.

Excellent Book!!.......2007-01-11

A wonderful glimpse at the subtle (and not so subtle) cultural differences in our country. Mostly funny, but with some serious points, and relevant throughout. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Funny and timely.......2007-01-09

I loved this book. Nancy French is able to point out the cultural differences in our society through anecdotes which are very funny. Conservatives will be encouraged and I think liberals will see that conservatives aren't as intolerant as the main stream media portrays them.

Hoping for Funny.......2006-12-24

And this book didn't deliver it.

The author has a good voice and a lovely, light writing style. She knows how to set up a good domestic story and make it funny as sin. Unfortunately, she spends entirely too much time whining about the "liberal" North and complaining about how horrible things are in the Northeast.

As a transplanted Southerner living in Taxachusetts, I thought I'd enjoy this book. I stopped reading half way through, sick to death of her whining. She didn't finish her degree at NYU because all the liberals were soooooo mean to her. Her friends in New York froze her out just because she wrote a nasty article in the paper. Her newborn baby had to wear cloth diapers. Oh the pain. Oh the agony.

Poor upper middle class, suburban Republican stuck amongst the Democrats!

Jeesh. From her book, you'd think all Southerners are White, middle-class, right-leaning Republicans. Speaking as a Yellow Dog Democrat Evangelical from the deepest part of the South I can only say that obviously she sees what she wants to see and disregards the rest.

Funniest book I've read all year.......2006-12-14

This isn't the type of book I'd normally pick up, yet I found myself laughing with each and every chapter. Nancy truly has a gift for words. It doesn't matter where you live, or what your political and religious beliefs are, this book will make you smile. As a Texan who works in New York and lives in California, I could totally relate to just about everything Nancy wrote - her grocery store and garbage dump experience, her mother's cardboard box collecting obsession. I can't wait to read Nancy's next one.

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen

Average customer rating:

Howling Mistakes Make This Book Unusable for Research
RIDICULOUS
Mixed Emotions
Don't bother
The best biographies of Anne are written by women.

Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen
Joanna Denny
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0306814749

Book Description

A new biography that reveals the truth about Anne Boleyn- intelligent, literate, and devout-as well as the truth about her king and his court-violent, scheming, and profane

No English queen has enjoyed such notoriety as Anne Boleyn, and none has been so persistently vilified. Even after her execution in May 1536, on trumped-up charges of adultery, her reputation has been pursued beyond the grave, subjected to all manner of accusation. The unsavory account of her life that has come down through history is one shaped by her enemies.

Joanna Denny's powerful new biography presents a radically different picture of Anne-a woman who was highly literate, accomplished, and a devout defender of her Protestant faith. Her tragedy was that her looks and vivacious charm attracted the notice of a violent and paranoid king and trapped her in the vicious politics of the Tudor court, where a deadly game was being played between the old nobility and the new, between the old faith and the new.

Denny's compelling account of Anne Boleyn plunges the reader into the heart of the intrigue, romance, and danger of the Tudor court and the turbulent times that changed England forever. It will change forever our perception of this much-maligned queen.

Customer Reviews:

Howling Mistakes Make This Book Unusable for Research.......2007-09-30

As a scholar of the French Renaissance, I went into this book happily thinking it would have the latest research on Anne and Henry VIII. Several mistakes from the get-go made me doubt all of Denny's assertions. I have serious issues with this book and would not like people to use it as a research source so they don't perpetuate some ridiculous tales. Here are just a few of my findings:

Assertion: "Henry VIII suffered from one illness or accident after another. He had frequent bouts of malaria all his life the first in 1524." Fact: No backup for this claim.

Assertion: Francois I of France "blew up in his coffin." Fact: I love this one, but can't find any other source to back this up.

Assertion: Francois I of France died of syphilis. Fact: The very latest writings in English and French doubt this. The cause of his death has been debated for years.

Assertion: "Henry invited Jean Du Bellay, who combined the roles of Bishop of Bayonne and Imperial ambassador to accompany them on progress where they made arrangements for a new summit meeting at Calais that autumn." Fact: Jean Du Bellay was from a noble French family and enjoyed the full confidence of the French King throughout his life. He was never an Imperial ambassador. Du Bellay was in England during the Boleyn crisis and wrote copiously on the situation. This gaff is akin to calling, say, Thomas Jefferson a Swedish ambassador. It throws the whole picture out of kilter.

Again, I have serious issues with this book and would not like people to use it as a research source so they don't perpetuate some ridiculous tales.

RIDICULOUS.......2007-08-30

Please don't buy this book. Please do not call Joanna Denny an historian. There are too many flaws to even begin to name (see other reviews below if you want a few examples). If I would have turned this book in as a paper in one of my history classes back in college, I would have easily failed the assignment. If I could have given it less than 1 star, I would have. This book should be in the fiction section of any bookstore or library.

Mixed Emotions.......2007-06-29

As a Roman Catholic, I was very troubled by the tone of this book. Ms. Denny seems to use every opportunity to attack the Catholic Church. The more I read, the more I wondered 'is she attacking the Church of the 16th century or the current Roman Catholic Church?'.

All those remarks about worshipping graven images began to get on my nerves. When I as a Catholic pray before a statue, I am not 'the heathen in his blindness/ bows down to clay and stone", but using the statue to focus my thoughts and prayers to God. It's the same way people use the music of hymns to praise the Lord. No one in their right mind would say that the congregation was worshipping the hymnal--nor is the Catholic adoring a statue or rosary beads.

Furthermore, I got rather tired of the 'arrogant' Catherine versus Saintly Anne. Why not let Anne Boleyn's intellect and charm speak for itself--was it necessary to attack Catherine of Aragon with points of accuracy. Some of Catherine's 'obstinacy' was to protect the right of her Daugher, Mary, to rule England. Catherine was the daughter of Isabel, a warrior Queen and believed that a married woman could be the head of state as well as a wife and mother.

As for Protestant versus Catholic, I agree with Elizabeth I, who remarked that 'there is one Christ Jesus; the rest is all trifles"

Lawyerkiki

Don't bother.......2007-06-28

I normally don't write reviews for books I have not read, but I sat down in Borders last night with this title and flipped through it for about 15 minutes. Within the first 5, I was convinced I didn't want to buy it, but kept reading because I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Even the illustrations signal red flags: the famous National Portrait Gallery painting of Anne Boleyn is called "the original," when even we amateur armchair historians know it's a copy; photostats of typescripts of Henry VIII's love letters are not historical documents; the "Thomas Boleyn" portrait misidentified again; plenty of irrelevant and/or non-contemporary illustrations that look like they're just there to fill space. Denny actually revisits the old did-Henry VIII-have-syphilis "debate," which has not been a debate for at least a century. She does this by strongly implying that he did, giving us a little history lesson on the background and symptoms of the disease, and ending the issue with a brief "though maybe he didn't"-type statement. It reads more like an undergraduate history paper done at the last minute than a serious piece of scholarly research.

For a biography that claims to present Anne as a highly literate, feminist reformer, etc., there is still distressingly little mention of her mentor, the brilliant Marguerite of Navarre (who Anne clearly loved and admired throughout her life, and whose example she tried to follow). Feminism does not mean playing good-guys/bad-guys (or gals).

I strongly suspect this biography was written to "correct" the drubbing that Anne's character has recently received at the hands of Gregory's novel "The Other Boleyn Girl," which paints her as a shrewish monster. Gregory in turn claims to have used Retha Warnicke's scholarship as a source; a few people here have suggested Warnicke as an alternative read to Denny. I suggest Karen Lindsay's "Divorced, Beheaded, Survived" as the best example of feminist scholarship on the Tudor period that I have read.

The best biographies of Anne are written by women........2007-04-04

Joanna Denny's book took my breath away. She puts all the remaining evidence together and comes up with the most plausible scenario for these historic events. Most of the revisionist history is necessarily that of Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon, since much information about Anne Boleyn has been destroyed.
For centuries Anne has been reviled as a stain on the noble Tudor dynasty. The nobility was entirely self-manufactured; the Tudors were expert publicists, seeking any way they could to legitimize their usurping dynasty.
Many things are explained that have been glossed over in other books: the strange upbringing of Henry VIII, the relationships between Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, who would rather have married Richard III!(Denny is clearly a Ricardian, and I would have liked to have had a footnote here, but she quotes an apparently still-extant letter where the Princess asks to marry Richard.) The Tudors are fortunate to have had Shakespeare's play propagandizing for them for centuries.
Denny strips away centuries of accepted thinking about history, particularly about the brutal and psychotic Henry VIII, and I could only wish that she had more footnotes to reinforce some of her more controversial statements. This book is therefore not receiving five stars, but all other aspects are excellent. It is a book that brings history and its actors to life. It is best to also buy the excellent LIFE AND DEATH OF ANNE BOLEYN which makes the same assertion that it was a clash over religion that eventually doomed Queen Anne to the block.

Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Mary Leveau

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voodoo queen the spirited lives of marie laveau
A book full of spirit
The BEST Book you will ever read on "The Widow Paris"
Disappointingly Unreliable and Insensitive
She made a human being out of an enigma

Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Mary Leveau
Martha Ward
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1578066298

Book Description

Each year, thousands of pilgrims visit the celebrated New Orleans tomb where Marie Laveau is said to lie. They seek her favors or fear her lingering influence. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau is the first study of the Laveaus, mother and daughter of the same name, who were two legendary leaders of religious and spiritual traditions many still label as evil.

The Laveaus were free women of color and prominent French-speaking Catholic Creoles. From the 1820s until the 1880s when one died and the other disappeared, gossip, fear, and fierce affection swirled about them. From the heart of the French Quarter, in dance, drumming, song and spirit possession, they ruled the imagination of New Orleans.

How did the two Maries apply their "magical" powers and uncommon business sense to shift the course of love, luck, and the law? The women understood the real crime?they had pitted their spiritual forces against the slave system of the United States. Moses-like, they led their people out of bondage and offered protection and freedom to the community of color, rich white women, enslaved families, and men condemned to hang.

The curse of the Laveau family, however, followed them. Both loved men they could never marry. Both faced down the press and police who stalked them. Both countered the relentless gossip of curses, evil spirits, murders, and infant sacrifice with acts of benevolence.

The book is also a detective story---who is really buried in the famous tomb in the oldest "city of the dead" in New Orleans? What scandals did the Laveau family intend to keep buried there forever? By what sleight of hand did free people of color lose their cultural identity when Americans purchased Louisiana and imposed racial apartheid upon Creole creativity? The book brings the improbable testimonies of saints, spirits, and never-before printed eyewitness accounts of their ceremonies and magical crafts to the lives of the two Marie Laveaus, leaders of a major, indigenous American religion.

Customer Reviews:

voodoo queen the spirited lives of marie laveau.......2006-07-04

Great book , loved it, thought it was wonderful

A book full of spirit.......2006-06-22

Many people have fallen in love with the women who is known as Marie Laveau. Not much is truely known about her, but Martha Ward does an excellent job in giving it's readers an inside look at the "Spirited Life of Marie Laveau". This book is a must for anyone interested in the subject of New Orleans folklore.

The BEST Book you will ever read on "The Widow Paris".......2006-03-07

Martha Ward deserves great kudos for this incredible work of love and devotion, Finally bringing the enigma of "Marie Laveau", BOTH of the Marie Laveau's to us in this day and age where she is so very much needed again to Bless her 21st Century Children now as a bona fide "Lwa"! Excellent!!! May the Good Mother Bless Martha Ward, And ALL of Us! So Be It!

Disappointingly Unreliable and Insensitive.......2006-02-09

I have always taken great interest in the history of my home town, New Orleans. I read whatever I can find about the corky characters that made this city so unique, and Marie Laveau has always been one of my favorites. Unfortunately, this book was a terrible disappointment.

Much of the insights about Marie Laveau in this book are not new but drawn from other sources that Martha Ward, the author, often fails to acknowledge and what is actually new here contains considerable mistakes on nearly every other page or is blurred with unsubstantiated fiction. Ward also displays little familiarity with Voodoo practices and Catholicism. To make matters worse, Ward makes painfully racist statements such as the best hotels in town "held tasteful slave auctions in their carpeted lobbies" (p.80). In my view, there is nothing "tasteful" about a horrendous ordeal like that, at least not for the men, women, and children who ended up on the auction block. Sadly, Ward, a white woman from Oklahoma, identifies here with the perspective of the slave buyers who indeed must have considered fine hotels to be a more "tasteful" environment than the dingy slave pens filled with stench.

The abundance of fiction and incorrect data makes me wonder whether Ward should have considered writing a historical novel instead, because her passion seems to be in the fiction not in caring about complex historical data. That way it would have been more honest and less confusing for the reader. As it is, Ward's book is both entertaining and an easy read, but should not be mistaken for a meticulously researched serious academic work despite the fact that it appeared in a scholarly press. Even major plots in this volume cannot be backed up historically. For more reliable sources on Marie Laveau see for instance Carolyn Long, Spiritual Merchants, and Ina Fandrich, The Mysterious Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveaux.

She made a human being out of an enigma.......2005-10-21

Madame Marie Laveau's name has been mentioned at various times every since I became involved with African spiriituality, so naturally I have an interest in her story. She has been portrayed as both sinner and saint, goddess and devil worshipper. Thanks to Martha Ward's book, we all can now see that she was neither, but a woman who lived her life as freely as she could within the confines of her time period. As a free woman of color, New Orleans wasn't either the worst place or the best place to be, it was simply Madame's life. She used her religion to help those less fortunate and tried to ease their burdens as best she could.

Ms Ward paints a vivid depiction of Madame's New Orleans and the restrictions that were on her and her family. The writing draws you into the history, giving you the feeling that you were really there. There is true empathy in the writing, as it illuminates what society was like in those times. You can also tell that the press of that era only saw Madame as something to either be laughed at or feared, as they tried to hide her name and destroy all evidence of her existence. Ah, but everything done in the dark, shall come to the light, and Ms Ward has brought her story to the forefront, showing a woman of courage, love and truth. To those of us who serve the gods of our ancestors, Madame Marie Laveau holds a revered place in our hearts and on our altars. She is Mary, Mother of the Spirits, one of the old ones who maintained our traditions in a hostile enviroment, passing it down through the generations. If no one else has said it, let me be the first to say, Modupe, Martha Ward, and, Modupe, Madame Laveau.

Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen

Average customer rating:

Really Wild!!

Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen
Brandon James
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0595678483

Book Description

As the plump sausages were beginning to brown, there was a knock on the door. Chicago Mob Boss Sam Giancana showed no fear as he turned back the double locks on the heavy steel door of his fortress like home that protected him from the outside world. Sam looked his old friend Johnny Rosselli in the eye and invited him in. The men kissed on the cheek, exchanged pleasantries and shared a laugh. Then "Mooney", as Johnny affectionately called Sam, heard the sausages sizzling in their pan and ran back to the stove to keep them from burning. While he was rolling them over, Johnny quietly crept up behind him and placed the muzzle of a .22 caliber handgun equipped with a silencer at the base of his skull and said "Sam, this is for Marilyn". Sam hesitated a moment as he tended to the sausages. A split second passed. In that moment, an image of Marilyn Monroe, the quintessential Hollywood Goddess, platinum blond bombshell, orphaned child, cheesecake pin up girl, fantasy lover to thousands of men, supposed tragic suicide victim and lover of President John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby, filled Sam's head. Then Johnny pulled the trigger.

Customer Reviews:

Really Wild!!.......2007-05-14

Jeanne Carmen "WOW" very interesting plus fun and historical read about the great adventures that this icon who lived to talk about her mishaps and adventures. Jeanne has always been up front about everything and says it like it is whenever - where ever! Go along for the ride it is definitely fun. Her golf talents will surprise you. Some moments are touching when Jeanne talks about Marilyn Monroe her dear friend. Brandon James did a wonderful job of writing! What a power house movie this would make considering everything she knows about the mystery revolving around Marilyn's death!!

Sex Lives of the Kings and Queens (Sex Lives)

Average customer rating:

Easy read but far too many inaccuracies

Sex Lives of the Kings and Queens (Sex Lives)
Nigel Cawthorne
Manufacturer: Prion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1853755362

Book Description

A chronicle of England’s ongoing royal sexual farce, from “Hal the Horny” and “Edward the Caresser” to the present–day antics of the House of Windsor.

Customer Reviews:

Easy read but far too many inaccuracies.......2006-07-31

Nice easy read, quite entertaining but way too many inaccuracies. James, Duke of Monmouth was NOT James, Duke of York's son, for instance. I'm not a history professor by any means, but it seemed like nobody proofread this book. If you want something just as entertaining with no factual mistakes, buy Eleanor Herman's Sex With Kings.

Average customer rating:

Deja vu...
Awesome
For the Aging Hipster Wanna-be
"That filthy animal ...."
Better Than the Catcher in the Rye!

Little New York Bastard: A Memoir
M. Dylan Raskin
Manufacturer: Four Walls Eight Windows
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1568582749

Book Description

Meet M. Dylan Raskin — “MDR” to friends. At 22, he’s the opposite of hip: a working-class college dropout who lives with his mother in Queens — “Flushing-Stinking-Queens,” to be precise. It’s not that he doesn’t like New York, exactly, it’s just that lately he’s felt more and more at odds with everything — his family, his generation, his hometown, even himself. One day he gets fed up and decides to take his freedom on the road, setting off for Chicago in a quixotic attempt to turn his life around. Little New York Bastard is the story of an outsider for the ages, a mixed-up kid who knows what he wants in life but has no idea how to get it. Raskin’s anger is palpable and his wounds are unabashedly raw, and readers will appreciate the immediacy and honesty of his story. Equal parts road story, coming-of-age memoir, and existential manifesto — this debut is in the tradition of cult classics like Youth in Revolt and The Fuck Up.

Customer Reviews:

Deja vu..........2007-01-14

This book reads very much like the classic "Catcher in the Rye" -- almost TOO much like it. M. Dylan Raskin IS Holden Caulfield. His journey, his lack of self-awareness, his absence of effective social skills, and frankly his mental instability are all here. It would seem all too contrived if it weren't supposedly based on Raskin's real life experiences. I did enjoy this book, especially at first, but I wish it were not so close to Salinger's book. It didn't offer anything really that different, that unique. I felt like Raskin really understood all the subtleties of his predecessor and emulated Salinger's style in a way I have not seen in any other book that has attempted to do so. The whining and complaining, though, just didn't end. This is something that my students have always hated about "Catcher" and though it never bothered me in that book, it did a bit in this one. Unfortunately, like I said, the narrator comes across almost like another Holden-obsessed crazed person. I hope that is not the case. Your call on this one: May be just what some people are looking for. Others might find it blasphemous.

Awesome.......2006-01-12

I am the sister of M's childhood friend. I read this book over a year ago, after my mother told me he'd written a book, and couldn't put it down. Having grown up in Flushing, Queens, right down the block from him, I related to everything. Recently, I heard that his mom died from cancer and I was shocked. I remember what he went through as a kid when his father died and after reading New York Bastard realized that he never recovered. I was hoping he'd eventually write another book. I've been checking Amazon every so often, and to my surprise, Bandanas and Other October Supplies comes out next month. Very unfortunate circumstances will make it difficult for us to read, but I know it'll be another page turner.

For the Aging Hipster Wanna-be.......2005-08-28

I found this novel in the bargain bin of my local used bookstore. It was an easy read, but wasn't quality literature. I had expected an experimental work full of conviction and a breaking of stereotypes, but what I got wasn't anything near that. If you are a hipster wanna-be, I think this book would fit nicely into your collection.

The story is one that has been repeated elsewhere and I feel that it's been successfully played out better in that text. If you're an aging hipster wanna-be feel free to read this book.

"That filthy animal ....".......2005-08-27

The fact that this book isn't intended to be a comedy is what makes it truly hilarious. Raskin seems oblivious to the notion that he isn't just talking to himself here, but to a whole audience. As another reviewer aptly pointed out, his storytelling technique is one that incorporates the reader into it --- making you feel as if you're having a one-on-one conversation with him. This is an especially powerful technique ..... more so when you consider the content of the book (it's unintentionally funny but extremely moving in some areas).

Either you love a book like this or you hate it ..... to some it's trash and to others like me it's truth in book form --- it speaks for the working-class, the ugly people of society in a way not seen since Bukowski. Amazon says that Raskin's new book is called 'Bandanas and October Supplies' and will be out in February 2006 ..... I'll be first in line.

Great book, highly recommended.

Better Than the Catcher in the Rye!.......2005-08-04

I truly loved this book! I found the voice funny, playful and entertaining. When it comes down to it, it's a matter of taste. But I found it enjoyable.

The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power (New Cultural Studies)

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Intersection of politics with gender
Elizabeth Rocks--An Accessible Academic Work
From an Elizabethan expert....
Intriguing look at E's leadership style and politics

The Heart and Stomach of a King: Elizabeth I and the Politics of Sex and Power (New Cultural Studies)
Carole Levin
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0812215338

Book Description

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king."--Elizabeth I

Whether this sentence is an accurate transcription of Elizabeth's speech at Tilbury in 1588, it does characterize some of the struggles, contradictions, and cultural anxieties that dominated the collective consciousness of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. In The Heart and Stomach of a King, Carole Levin explores contemporary representations of the unmarried, childless Elizabeth and focuses on the ways in which members of her court, foreign ambassadors, and a motley--and sometimes delusional--collection of subjects responded to her. Throughout, Levin's purpose is to explore how gender constructions, role expectations, and beliefs about sexuality influenced both Elizabeth's self-presentation and others' perceptions of her as a female, and Protestant, ruler.

Customer Reviews:

Intersection of politics with gender.......2001-10-19

"I may have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have th heart and stomach of a King" - Elizabeth I

This quote from Elizabeth I says a lot about this book. Professor Carole Levin examines how Elizabeth I was able to use her role as a woman (where traditionally, the public viewed women as incapable, weak, dependant) to her advantage and at the same time she ruled like a "King". Levin also examined how Elizabeth was so successful in her reign and at the same time, she was not the typical "woman" of her time; she was childless, and unmarried. She portrayed herself as a "Virgin Queen" - as in she was married to her country.

It is important to note that this is not a biography of Elizabeth I but a book that gives a new perspective of Elizabeth I, that helps us to understand the overlapping of politics with gender and sexuality. Levin did an excellent job in using unconventional sources such as gossips, rumors, religious works, diplomatic correspondence that makes it a distinctive scholarly work. This book is also very easy to read, and even if you don't have a substantial backgroup in pre-modern European history, you will not have a problem in reading this book

Elizabeth Rocks--An Accessible Academic Work.......2000-10-12

This is a beautifully researched, well written, thought provoking study of how one of the most interesting and powerful women in history negotiated gender restrictions during her 45 year reign. Not just a standard biography, "Heart and Stomach" looks carefully at Elizabeth's use of gender perceptions and roles to present herself as the great queen that she was. I've used this book as a text in the classroom and I've recommended it to readers and scholars who are interested in all things Renaissance and in women's history. It's always a hit!

From an Elizabethan expert...........1998-02-28

Carole Levin's study of Elizabeth I is unprecedented. This study not only gives readers who are unfamiliar with Elizabeth an idea of her life and desires, but it is explicates the problems behind a woman being a monarch in her own right in 16th century England. If one is interested in both English Monarchy and Women's Studies, this study will be enjoyed.

Intriguing look at E's leadership style and politics.......1998-01-19

If you are intrigued by the life and reign of Elizabeth I, you will enjoy this book, whether you agree with all the author's conclusions or not. She gives some interesting insights to the challenges Elizabeth faced as a female monarch and describes how Elizabeth both compensated for her femininity and used it to her advantage during her reign. You will also get a taste of how Elizabethan culture affected the politics of her reign. The book takes an academic approach but is very readable by a layperson. I gave it a 7 only because it slows down in places and I think the author is reaching in making some of the connections between gender and politics that she does. But overall, interesting insights to Elizabeth as leader.

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Precursor to Age of Reason
Dr. John Dee- Mathematician and Mystic

The Queen's Conjuror
Benjamin Woolley
Manufacturer: Flamingo
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0006552021

Customer Reviews:

Precursor to Age of Reason.......2007-06-26

Dr. John Dee is now considered to be the English Renaissance man. This was not always the case, however, because his first biographers, as the author of this fine biography points out, were either `hard-headed rationalist or muddle-headed mystics.' In present time, researchers and historians agree that Dee was a true Renaissance man because he sought to connect or reconcile rationalism with magic, science and the supernatural. This was not unusual for the time. Copernicus cited the mystic Hermes Trismegistus in his Magnum Opus, proposing the heliocentric universe. Isaac Newton began his career as an alchemist, before moving on to modern methods of pure science. John Dee was the most important scientists of the Elizabethan age. But this is only a somewhat recent recognition because throughout the ages he was considered a charlatan, crook, blockhead and "companion of hellhounds". Benjamin Woolley's fine biography combines history, science, espionage and common sense and attempts to answer how a man of genius that had such a major influence in mathematics, astronomy, cartography, navigation and science in general, could die a pauper and in obscurity.

In 1659, a scholar by the name of Meric Casaubon copied and published a collection of Dee's documents, which contained the recordings of spiritual conversations with angels and archangels, and other dialogues, which could be interpreted dubious at best. After the publication Dee's reputation as a credible philosopher went steadily down hill and has taken centuries to recover. Woolley has done some fine research, using Dee's actual diaries, and has painstakingly pieced together his life and career.

The Elizabethan age was a turning point in Western history. The Reformation was essentially a battle for power and knowledge and a bloody war in the name of religion. But it also set the stage for the Enlightenment, and Dr. John Dee was a precursor to the Age of Reason. He was a man of `science', collecting and studying every ancient text he could get his hands on, (his library is the stuff of legend) but rational knowledge, he truly believed, would only take him so far - he desired heavenly knowledge and wisdom. And it is possible that his spiritual researches into the divine nature could have been the cause of his downfall. Dee did not seek worldly gain, riches and material pleasure; his only desire was to attain the secrets of the Holy. Did he pay the ultimate price for this activity?

~The Queen's Conjurer~ is not a dense historical text, but an informative and enlightening piece of research. It casts some light on an intriguing figure, removing him from modern occult history and in to the mainstream.

Dr. John Dee- Mathematician and Mystic.......2007-03-31

I have always found Dr. John Dee to be one of the most intriguing characters of Elizabethan times. Yet, there seemed to be so little information available about him, only bits and pieces and rumors- often spread by his enemies. Here is a most satisfying biography that not only gives you a complete look at the Doctor's life, but is also supplemented with a wealth of associated detail and historical background. This book turns Dee from a shadowy character to a real man, a great man.

What comes across is the amazing breadth and depth of Dee's interests and scholarship. He was already famed for his remarkable intellect and ability as a student at Cambridge. At a time when most scholars barely possessed a reading knowledge of bad Latin, he mastered classical Greek to be able to read the forgotten works of Plato and Pythagoras. He was a personal friend and correspondent to the great men of the age such as Tycho Brahe and Mercator. Dee himself was famed as a great mathematician in Europe (at a time when simple trigonometry was almost unknown in England.) He was offered high positions at the great courts of Europe, but turned these offers down out of a deep seated desire to raise up his country of birth to be their eventual global equal (at this time England was a poor, backward, weak backwater.) Indeed, the first conception of a British Empire, founded upon a strong Royal Navy, was first expounded by Dee.

John Dee was as close to modern scientist as existed in the 16th century. He independently came to the conclusion that bodies of unequal weight fall at the same rate- before Galileo. He was recognized as England's top expert on optics and lenses. He was recognized as one of the top experts on navigation and chart making of his day. He kept detailed astronomical observations that even Tycho Brahe admired. He based his astrological work upon the heliocentric "heresy" of Copernicus. He was an expert in geology and ores and leased his own tin mine. He also collected the biggest research library of the age in Mortlake, which was a gathering place of the greatest minds of England and the continent. In short- Dee was a competent expert in several areas of natural philosophy and applied technology. He believed in detailed observation and record keeping- in both natural, and supernatural, phenomena.

The thing is, Dee believed his accomplishments in the more material and practical sciences to be among his lesser accomplishments. Like Newton after him, his real passion was with the deepest cosmic and spiritual secrets. This led to his fame as an astrologer, and an alchemist, and a cabalist. Dee's passion was to discover the ancient, true, original religion of mankind, the "prisci theology." That is why he could walk easily among both Protestants and Catholics- he ultimately considered both of their dogma's to be equally absurd. Dee had a much more open mind that the "scientists" of later centuries- he studied all unknown forces, natural or supernatural. This was why be studied and practiced natural magic (Agrippa's three books were always open upon his desk for quick reference.) He knew that hidden currents influenced the day-to-day world, and he documented his observations even if he couldn't explain them in terms of material cause and effect. This also led to his interest is scrying and the use of natural sensitives to communicate with spirits. It should be noted, that no one at this time doubted the existence of such spirits- it was as self evident as the existence of God. In fact, many powerful lords of the day employed seers and scryers, including the earls of Leicester, Pembroke, and Northumberland.

All in all, you come away with a renewed respect for Dee. You realize that his only fault was to be born in a society of petty, ignorant, lesser men. It was they that libeled and slandered his image and painted him as a superstitious conjuror. Indeed, the only real mistake that the good Doctor made was to outlive his beloved queen and protector.

State of Grace: A Memoir of Twilight Time

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Navy82
More than a football story
A book worth reading
A memoir for all times

State of Grace: A Memoir of Twilight Time
Robert Timberg
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Mid Atlantic | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0684855615

Book Description

From the author of the critically acclaimed The Nightingale's Song ("An amazing piece of work...This is a stunning book" -- Boston Globe), comes an evocative, elegiac and rollicking portrait of America.

The Nightingale's Song was Robert Timberg's extraordinary tale of well-intentioned but ill-starred warriors. In State of Grace, his long-awaited new book, he revives the powerful themes of courage, manhood and loss in a strikingly personal exploration of America between the Good War and Vietnam. "It was the twilight of innocence, or what passed for innocence if you didn't look too closely," he writes. "America was at peace, peering confidently into the future, when it should have been holding its breath for what lay ahead."

Robert Timberg has his finger on the pulse of a generation that split along a fault line called Vietnam, between those who went and those who didn't. In his unflinching and riveting The Nightingale's Song, Timberg chronicled a nation haunted by the war and its corrosive aftermath. Now, in State of Grace, the author rediscovers an earlier time and an America now largely lost.

Using the New York City sandlot football team he played for after high school as a rich metaphor for what was best about that bygone era, Timberg evokes the period in fine detail and vivid color. It was a world of girls, beer and the proverbial Big Game, but it also was defined by faith in tradition and institutions, including a still unsullied Catholic Church. State of Grace captures life on the threshold of Kennedy's Camelot, before the Beatles, before the Pill, but in the ever-expanding shadow of Vietnam, "a time when the path to an honorable future seemed as straightforward as playing hard, hitting clean, and not fumbling the ball."

The tale is told through Timberg's own eyes as he moves from troubled youth to man, from running back on a team called the Lynvets to Naval Academy plebe to Marine officer. The story is also told through a collection of other characters, including a genius of a coach overmatched when off the field, a driven quarterback sidetracked by booze and an angry loner fresh from the army stockade who reclaims his life on the gridiron. As Timberg writes, the team was where he and his fellow Lynvets "found a toe-hold on our better selves during a troubled time in our lives. Those snatches of pride and courage and strength we shared...eventually grew within us, becoming the core of a decent manhood that might have easily eluded any one of us in other circumstances. There were times, for each of us, when it was all we had."

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"From the author of the critically acclaimed The Nightingale's Song (""An amazing piece of work...This is a stunning book"" -- Boston Globe), comes an evocative, elegiac and rollicking portrait of America. The Nightingale's Song was Robert Timberg's extraordinary tale of well-intentioned but ill-starred warriors. In State of Grace, his long-awaited new book, he revives the powerful themes of courage, manhood and loss in a strikingly personal exploration of America between the Good War and Vietnam. ""It was the twilight of innocence, or what passed for innocence if you didn't look too closely,"" he writes. ""America was at peace, peering confidently into the future, when it should have been holding its breath for what lay ahead."" Robert Timberg has his finger on the pulse of a generation that split along a fault line called Vietnam, between those who went and those who didn't. In his unflinching and riveting The Nightingale's Song, Timberg chronicled a nation haunted by the war and its corrosive aftermath. Now, in State of Grace, the author rediscovers an earlier time and an America now largely lost. Using the New York City sandlot football team he played for after high school as a rich metaphor for what was best about that bygone era, Timberg evokes the period in fine detail and vivid color. It was a world of girls, beer and the proverbial Big Game, but it also was defined by faith in tradition and institutions, including a still unsullied Catholic Church. State of Grace captures life on the threshold of Kennedy's Camelot, before the Beatles, before the Pill, but in the ever-expanding shadow of Vietnam, ""a time when the path to an honorable future seemed as straightforward as playing hard, hitting clean, and not fumbling the ball."" The tale is told through Timberg's own eyes as he moves from troubled youth to man, from running back on a team called the Lynvets to Naval Academy plebe to Marine officer. The story is also told through a collection of other characters, including a genius of a coach overmatched when off the field, a driven quarterback sidetracked by booze and an angry loner fresh from the army stockade who reclaims his life on the gridiron. As Timberg writes, the team was where he and his fellow Lynvets ""found a toe-hold on our better selves during a troubled time in our lives. Those snatches of pride and courage and strength we shared...eventually grew within us, becoming the core of a decent manhood that might have easily eluded any one of us in other circumstances. There were times, for each of us, when it was all we had."" "

Customer Reviews:

Navy82.......2006-05-17

As an ex-Lynvet player and Annopolis grad, I thouroughly enjoyed "State of Grace." Mr. Timberg successfully brings you back to a much more difficult, but, in many ways, a simpler time. He provides vivid and colorful descriptions of his teamates and the challeges that they faced while entering adulthood.

"State of Grace" is a timeless book about young men living difficult lives, by today's standards, and through football and comraderie find their ways through life. I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to teenagers and their parents.

More than a football story.......2005-07-19

This book will appeal to anyone who grew up in the 50's/60's, especially in the New York area. The football aspect is a thread; the focus is on coming of age and the changes in society that took place in that era.

It was a personal bonus to me in that I knew the Stuyvesant High School folks mentioned in the book. They were a special breed, dealing with long commutes to school & practices while succeeding in one of the most academically challenging high schools in the U. S.

A book worth reading.......2005-02-07

As I came to know the Lynvets in State of Grace, I found myself caring about each and every one of them while rooting for them to succeed in the games of football and life.

Robert Timberg comes across as an uncomplaining, grateful warm human being who appreciates the hardships of his life for the lessons they taught him, and the good things that happened to him and his buddies for the rewards they brought for trying. Unlike Frank McCourt , who, in "Angela's Ashes" and "Tis" constantly complains about his life growing up and shows very little appreciation for the good life that this country has given him. He should take a lesson from Timberg, whose book is equally as good, who loves his country and his fellow man.

It was wonderful to read about the bond between the Lynvets and the competitions that helped almost everyone to mature to his potential.

Despite a surface knowledge of football I thoroughly enjoyed "State of Grace", and the plays are so well described that it doesn't take much familiarty with the game to get involved and root for the Lynvets.

I highly recomment reading this book.

I. C. Lefferts - Litchfield, CT

A memoir for all times.......2004-10-10

This memoir will never be dated. The son of a Ziegfield girl and an aspiring songwriter Timberg's book has you rooting for him from the beginning as challenge after challenge threaten to keep him down. He pulls himself into manhood and takes us with him in this superbly crafted work. His goal, Annapolis, is preceded by two years of trying to obtain an appointment. During this interregnum, he joins a sandlot football team made up of good, sometimes errant, boy/men wondering about destinies. A page turner.
S.D. Segalini
Falmouth MA

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